From childhood, I have loved reading about myths: the Greek
and Roman myths gods of Mount Olympus, Odysseus battling the cyclops, Jason and
the Argonauts sailing for the golden fleece, Orpheus descending into the
Underworld to retrieve his lost love, Eurydice.; the Nordic Myths of Odin and
Thor, the Egyptian Osiris and the book of the dead.
Sometimes we use the word ‘myth’ to describe a falsehood, a
story in direct opposition to the facts of history. But in the pre-modern world, a myth was not
the same thing as a lie. Rather, it was
a story used to explain abstract ideas, teach virtues, or embody deeply felt
beliefs.
Jesus himself used stories to teach the Gospel--parables. Was there really a sower who scattered seed
on rocky ground, thorny ground, and good soil? Probably not. But his story
conveyed a deeper truth, that God’s word sometimes does not take root in our
souls because of our hard-hearts, or our sinful attachments.
The myths we pass on, the stories we tell are powerful, they
can shape a mind for the good or the bad.
I think some of the newer Disney movies, for example, have some very
strange moral teachings lurking under the colorful characters. The popular Disney movie, Frozen, for
example, has the main character singing “let it go. Let go of all limits. No
right, no wrong, no rules for me,” she sang. That’s heresy. That’s dangerous to the soul. You
really want your children throwing away lessons of right and wrong? Do you want
your neighbor kids not believing it’s wrong to break into your house? No wonder
it became the most popular song in the country for several months.
Personally, I like a lot of those old stories, which held to
the belief that there is a difference between right and wrong. Stories of Knights going off to battle
dragons, undertaking dangerous arduous quests to break the curse cast on their
beloved princesses. Perhaps, our culture is becoming so morally devoid because
it stopped telling the right sort of stories--stories that bear authentic moral
truth and virtue.
What sets the Bible, the story of our Christian faith aside
from all of the other world myths, is that our story is true AND it actually
happened. So, we especially teach our children the stories from Scripture. Some
of these shows like Veggie Tales are really good, because they introduce
children to biblical figures and the truths of the Word of God. Our summer
vacation bible school does the same thing.
As St. Paul was teaching throughout Galatia, accusations
were brought against him that he was making up this story that Jesus of
Nazareth had risen from the dead. “Why
should we believe Paul? He’s just telling us a nice story.”
Paul says, no, this is not just another story. He gives them several powerful reasons to
believe Him. He explains to them that he was a member of the elite class of top
rabbis in Jerusalem. When Christianity came onto the scene, he was
its most energetic and violent persecutor.
He had put Christians to death because he believed Christianity was a diabolical
heresy. But then, as he made his way to Damascus, he had a conversion of mind
and heart. Jesus Christ appeared to Him and called him to be a missionary of
the Gospel. It was as if he had been blind to the truth of the faith and could
now see. This Gospel is true, he told the Galatians, this Gospel is worth
suffering for…and he had before coming to Galatia, he had been imprisoned,
flogged, stoned. The apostles, too, in Jerusalem, had suffered for this same
Gospel, for Jesus had appeared to them as well.
St. Paul wrote to the Galatians, as we heard in our Second
Reading today: “I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel
preached by me is not of human origin. For I did not receive it from a human
being, nor was I taught it, but it came through a revelation of Jesus Christ.”
The Gospel of Jesus Christ is not of human origin; it is not
a myth. It comes from God, not simply to entertain us, not simply to form our
moral compass. God’s word is life-giving. Our Christian faith is a conduit to
receive the life of God. It is a channel, into our hearts, whereby sinners are
restored to life and set back on the road that leads to eternity with God in
heaven.
Yes, Jesus taught in parables, to convey the truths of the
Gospel, but he also showed the life-giving power of God at work through
miracles. He came not simply to tell stories, but to restore us and imbue us
with life.
We heard one of those miracles in the Gospel reading today. A
young man, had died, and was being carried off to his funeral in a coffin. And
Jesus, through his divine authority, commanded life itself to re-enter this
dead boy. Many of those who witnessed
this miracle recognized that “God had visited his people.” For only God has the
power to Give life, only God has the power to restore sinners to grace.
Friends, I think sometimes we have to resist this tendency
of treating our faith simply as a set of stories. If they are simply a set of
stories, we can control them, we can pick and choose which ones we like and
ignore the others. But to treat our faith simply as a nice story deprives it of
its power, it keeps God at a distance.
Those who witnessed the miracles in today's Readings reacted
by expressing awe and faith in God. They glorified God and renewed their trust
in him. We too can experience this awe and renewed faith when we prayerfully
read God’s word, when we prayerfully receive the sacraments, and when we
prayerfully engage in the works of mercy.
Last week, on the feast of Corpus Christi, and spoke on
coming to a renewed faith in the real of presence of Christ in the Eucharist—coming
to receive the Eucharist today as if it were your first time and your last
time.
How about Scripture? How often throughout the week are you
reading scripture, prayerfully? I would like to propose a 10 minute challenge. Read
the Bible for 10 minutes a day. Our bulletins have the readings used at daily
mass throughout the week. I suggest using those. Read through those readings and
spend the rest of the 10 minutes asking God: “What are you saying to me, now,
through your inspired Word? How does this affect me, in the ordinary activities
of my life?” After those 10 minutes you could journal down your thoughts, or
share them on Twitter or Facebook or with someone who seems to need a bit of
encouragement, or simply continue to reflect on them throughout the day.
10 minutes a day of reading and reflecting will open doors
to God in our life like you’ve never imagined.
The Lord wishes to imbue us with renewed life, to raise us
from the dead, to deepen our conviction for the Gospel that we may become its
witnesses to the ends of the earth, for the glory of God and salvation of
souls.
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